Katie Ledecky is one of the most decorated swimmers, who was born on March 17, 1997, in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a four-time Olympian and an 11-time Olympic medalist, of which 7 are gold and 3 are silver and one bronze medal. Apart from this, she has also won 26 medals in the World Championships, of which 21 are gold and the rest 5 are silver. She is the woman who holds the most medals of any female swimmer in history. Along with her medals, she has accomplished world records in her career. Ledecky specializes in the 800m and 500m freestyle races.
Katie Ledecky swam for the Stanford Cardinal women's team at Stanford University. She is notable for being the Pac-12 Champion seven times and NCAA Champion eight times in her career. She also earned nine All-American honors during her college career from 2016 to 2018.
Read More:- Katie Ledecky High School
Katie Ledecky Olympic Medal Wins
In the 2012 London Olympics, Katie Ledecky won one gold. She took home gold in the women’s 800m freestyle.
In the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Ledecky bagged six medals, of which five were gold and one was silver. She took home gold in the women’s 200m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay, 400m freestyle, and 800m freestyle. She nabbed silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won two golds and two silver medals. The Maryland native clinched gold in the 1500m freestyle event and 800m freestyle event. She bagged silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay and the 400m freestyle.
Katie Ledecky earned a bronze medal in the 400m freestyle swimming event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Event Name | Medals | Year |
Women’s 800m freestyle | Gold | 2012 (London) |
Women’s 200m freestyle | Gold | 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) |
Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay | Gold | 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) |
Women’s 400m freestyle | Gold | 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) |
Women’s 800m freestyle | Gold | 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) |
4x100m freestyle relay | Silver | 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) |
1500m freestyle | Gold | 2020 (Tokyo Olympics) |
800m freestyle | Gold | 2020 (Tokyo Olympics) |
4x200m freestyle | Silver | 2020 (Tokyo Olympics) |
400m freestyle | Silver | 2020 (Tokyo Olympics) |
400m freestyle | Bronze | 2024 (Paris Olympics) |
Katie Ledecky’s Medal Breakdowns
World Championships
Katie Ledecky is a 26-time World Champion medalist, of which 21 are gold medals and 5 are silver. She has appeared in six World Championships (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023). In her debut at the 2013 World Championships, she won 4 golds in the 1500m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, and 800m freestyle.
In the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, she clinched five golds in 1500m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay, 400m freestyle, and 800m freestyle. In the 2017 iteration of the World Championships, the 27-year-old brought home five golds and one silver. She stood atop the podium in 1500m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay, 400m freestyle, and 800m freestyle. She grabbed silver in the 200m freestyle.
In the 2019 iteration, Ledecky clinched one gold in the 800m freestyle event, and two silvers in the 4x200m freestyle relay and 400m freestyle. In the 2022 championships, she clinched four golds and in the 2023 Championships, she brought two golds and two silvers home.
Event Name | Medal | Year |
1500m freestyle | Gold | 2013 (Spain) |
4x200m freestyle | Gold | 2013 (Spain) |
400m freestyle | Gold | 2013 (Spain) |
800m freestyle | Gold | 2013 (Spain) |
1500m freestyle | Gold | 2015 (Russia) |
200m freestyle | Gold | 2015 (Russia) |
4x200m freestyle | Gold | 2015 (Russia) |
400m freestyle | Gold | 2015 (Russia) |
800m freestyle | Gold | 2015 (Russia) |
1500m freestyle | Gold | 2017 (Budapest) |
4x100m freestyle | Gold | 2017 (Budapest) |
4x200m freestyle | Gold | 2017 (Budapest) |
400m freestyle | Gold | 2017 (Budapest) |
800m freestyle | Gold | 2017 (Budapest) |
200m freestyle | Silver | 2017 (Budapest) |
800m freestyle | Gold | 2019 (South Korea) |
4x200m freestyle relay | Silver | 2019 (South Korea) |
400m freestyle | Silver | 2019 (South Korea) |
1500m freestyle | Gold | 2022 (Budapest) |
4x200m freestyle relay | Gold | 2022 (Budapest) |
400m freestyle | Gold | 2022 (Budapest) |
800m freestyle | Gold | 2022 (Budapest) |
1500m freestyle | Gold | 2023 (Fukuoka) |
800m freestyle | Gold | 2023 (Fukuoka) |
4x200m freestyle relay | Silver | 2023 (Fukuoka) |
400m freestyle | Silver | 2023 (Fukuoka) |
Pan Pacific Championships
Katie Ledecky squared off in two Pan Pacific Championships and won 10 medals overall, of which eight were gold, one was silver, and one bronze. In the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, she clinched five gold medals in the 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, and 4x200m freestyle events. In the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, she won three golds in the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, and 1500m freestyle, one silver in the 4x200m freestyle, and one bronze in the 200m freestyle events.
Event Name | Medal | Year |
200m Freestyle | Gold | 2014 (Australia) |
400m Freestyle | Gold | 2014 (Australia) |
800m Freestyle | Gold | 2014 (Australia) |
1500m Freestyle | Gold | 2014 (Australia) |
4 x 200m Freestyle | Gold | 2014 (Australia) |
400m Freestyle | Gold | 2018 (Tokyo) |
800m Freestyle | Gold | 2018 (Tokyo) |
1500m Freestyle | Gold | 2018 (Tokyo) |
4 x 200m Freestyle | Silver | 2018 (Tokyo) |
200m Freestyle | Bronze | 2018 (Tokyo) |
How many Olympics has Katie Ledecky been in?
Katie Ledecky has become a four-time Olympian as of 2024. She has appeared in the 2012 London Olympics, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Katie Ledecky Olympic Records
These are the records that Katie Ledecky has held in the Olympics as of 2024-
- During Katie Ledecky's Olympic debut in 2012, she won a gold medal in the women's 800m freestyle with a time of 8:14:63, thereby breaking Janet Evan's American record of 8:16.22, which was in place for 27 years as per swimswam.com. Her age was only 15 years at the time.
- Katie Ledecky next established the world record in the women's 400m freestyle with a time of 3:56.46 at the Rio Olympics in 2016 as per usatoday.com. However, this record was broken by Titmus in May 2022.
Katie Ledecky Record & Achievement
Katie Ledecky is one of the household names in the swimming realm. Along with multiple Olympic medals, she has broken a world record 14 different times, and most of the time, she surpassed her own records. Ledecky is the current world record holder in the women’s 800m and 1500m freestyle events.
She won her first international medal at the age of 15 at the 2012 London Olympics and has won the highest number of Female Athlete of the Year awards at the Golden Goggle Awards (2013,2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022). She has the highest number of individual gold medals as compared to any other female Olympic swimmers or female American swimmers. She was also named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 2017 and 2022, and the American was also honored with the title of ESPY Best Female Athlete in 2022.
The 27-year-old was also awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden on May 3, 2024. This is one of the highest civilian honors in the US.
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Katie Ledecky's Olympic Journey
Katie Ledecky made her International debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She squared off in the 800m Freestyle and clocked 8:14.63 and broke Janet Evan’s American record of 8:16.22.
In the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she clinched four gold medals in the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 4x200m freestyle. Her first gold was in the 400m freestyle where she posted a world record time of 3:56.46. The second one was in the 200m freestyle where she bested Sarah Sjostrom and clocked a personal best of 1:53.73, then Ledecky brought gold home in the 4x200m Freestyle relay with her compatriots Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, and Maya Dirado.
Her fourth gold was in the 800m Freestyle, where she again set a world record of 8:04.79. In this Olympics, she became the first woman to triumph in 200m, 400m, and 800m freestyle at the same Olympics since Debbie Meyer in 1968.
In the 2020 Summer Olympics, she clinched two golds in the 800m and 1500m freestyle events. She clocked 8:12.57 in the 800m freestyle and 15:37.34 in the 1500m freestyle. She also clinched silver in the 400m freestyle with a time of 3:57.36. Katie Ledecky will next be seen at the Paris Olympics 2024, which is slated to be held from July 26 - August 11.
FAQ's On Katie Ledecky's Olympic Medals
A. Katie Ledecky was born on March 17, 1997, in Bethesda, Maryland, which makes her 27 years old as of June 2024.
A. Katie Ledecky is the daughter of Mary Gen and David Ledecky.
A. Katie Ledecky is 6’0” or 183 cm tall.
A. Katie Ledecky pursued his collegiate degree from Stanford University.
A. Katie Ledecky is a swimmer by profession, participating in the Olympics and World Championship events.